Get Help from a Top Hostile Work Environment Attorney in Woodland Hills CA
Harassment based on gender, ethnicity, national origin, pregnancy status, age, handicap, or religion is illegal in the workplace. All California businesses are legally required to take action to prevent harassment from happening and to stop it if it does happen. [Business] can assist you if you require a hostile work environment attorney in Woodland Hills CA.
If you have faced harassment at work and your employer has not taken the proper steps to put a stop to it, call us. To maximize the value of your claim and begin your recovery process, call (800) 435-7542 to speak with one of our recognized lawyers for workplace harassment.
What is a Hostile Work Environment? A Hostile Work Environment Attorney in Woodland Hills CA Explains
Almost everyone will inevitably run into hostile coworkers. So when does aggressive workplace behavior turn into a crime? In order for behavior to fall into the unlawful category, it must be proven that the hostility was toward a protected class. Protected classes include gender, race, national origin, pregnancy, age, disability, and religion.
Additionally, it must be shown that the behavior was severe or pervasive and unwanted and that the harassment was serious and widespread enough to make the workplace intimidating or hostile.
Is All Unacceptable Workplace Behavior to the Level of a Hostile Work Environment?
Even if some less than acceptable behaviors, like making crude jokes, may offend some people, they might not be extreme enough to trigger legal sanctions. To ascertain whether unlawful activity took place, a hostile work environment attorney in Woodland Hills CA will evaluate your case.
It can include physical hostilities such physical intimidation, groping, pushing, striking, and other unpleasant physical contacts. Verbal actions that can be unlawful include making off-color jokes, insulting someone, using slurs against them, or otherwise verbally assaulting someone due to their protected status or characteristic. Visual harassment can occur too, which includes using cartoons, pictures, posters, or drawings to harass someone.
A Sexual Harassment Victim Can Get Help from a Hostile Work Environment Attorney in Woodland Hills CA
Demanding a date from someone repeatedly, asking for sexual favors, and other unwanted sexual actions and behaviors are all examples of sexual harassment. There are two basic types of sexual harassment, one of which is making a hostile work environment. The other is quid pro quo sexual harassment, in which an employer asks an employee for sexual favors in exchange for benefits.
First Steps to Take
Before seeking legal action, victims of hostile work environments must first take the necessary steps to stop similar situations in the future. This means keeping a record of the harassment, filing a written complaint with management and/or human resources, and utilizing any internal complaint procedures your place of employment may have established.
Both federal and California law mandate that harassment victims exhaust administrative remedies through either the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and/or the Equal Opportunity Commission before filing a lawsuit.
Document everything in writing and make a list of the harassing actions, and all witnesses. The allegations will have more credibility with this concrete evidence and information, which may also be essential to your ability to recover lost income, lost benefits, punitive damages, and other compensatory damages. We are here to assist you, so call (800) 435-7542 right away to speak with a hostile work environment attorney in Woodland Hills CA about your rights and legal options during a free case consultation.